J.T. Strange wanted his hangar to go beyond the typical look of a hangar door. He accomplished this by mounting the sheeting horizontally and by having the corrugated panel of the bifold door overlap in the middle. The door is also two feet inset.

“I researched a lot of other hangar door companies, but along the lines of making the personal contact (with my neighbor) I was pretty much sold on Schweiss and went that way,” says Strange. “It wasn’t even a matter of cost at that point anymore. I went on the reputation that Schweiss has.”

Strange’s hangar required a 45-foot by 15-foot, 11-inch door to house his Cessna 182T, which he uses for business and pleasure. Bob Beckman of R.D. Beck Services of Harrison, Ohio, a Schweiss Doors installer since 1999, completed the installation. Strange wanted a Schweiss bifold liftstrap/autolatch remote opening door, with black horizontal corrugated sheeting on the face of the door.

J.T. Strange of Goshen, Ohio, is in the process of building a new home at the Obannon Creek Aerodrome Airpark. His hangar, which will hold his Cessna 182T business and pleasure aircraft, is fitted with a Schweiss 45-foot by 15-foot, 11-inch bifold liftstrap door.

“By mounting the sheeting horizontally, we were able to have the top corrugated panel of the bifold door overlap the lower panel,” Strange says. “When you look at the closed door, even when you are standing very close to it, the two-inch pattern appears to be seamless with no joint in the middle and looks more like a single panel hydraulic door.”

Strange’s research and engineering background led him to select a bifold door because there is less surface area for windy conditions and when there is heavy snow. Strange insisted on installing the door inset about two feet, instead of on the face of the building.

“I wanted to do something totally different,” Strange says. “I kind of wanted to go beyond the typical look of an airport hangar door. I like the autolatches and remote opener. The batt-insulated door operates very quietly and is dressed up with a cedar interior trim to match the garage door.”

The inside of the hangar is painted in a patriotic red, white and blue with a large American flag on the back wall. Strange says he appreciates the sacrifices veterans have made, including his father, a Vietnam veteran. What he likes most about his door is the look.

“That’s because when it comes to the mechanics of it, the operation of the motor and everything else, there have been no issues with it whatsoever,” Strange says. “It’s like you don’t even think about the mechanics of it; it’s very sound, even the autolatching system. That’s why I haven’t added the foam on both sides of the door. It pulls so tight in, it’s pretty much sealed up already.”

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1 comment

I have had a Schweiss bifold on my hangar for 17 years and it works as good today as it did the first day it was installed. My neighbors have several varieties of doors. Some are more expensive and some are less expensive, but my Schweiss has made them all envious. The new trend appears to be one piece doors, but my bifold seals tighter against the floor, and that means my hangar stays cleaner than anyone else’s. Every day, I see my neighbors sweeping the dirt out that has blown underneath their doors. Some of the other doors had really good door seals at first, but they quickly wore out rubbing against the ground during opening and closing. My Schweiss door seal is just barely scuffed after all these years. I have to take my hat off to you guys. You have designed a really nice door.